I’ve made a video montage that shows a side-by-side comparisons between two great movies. “The Wrestler” and “The Black Swan” could not be more different, yet they share enough familial traits to be considered siblings. Both films are directed by Darren Aronofksy. Both films feature protagonists who push their bodies to the limit. One film displays the graceful, fragile form of a ballet dancer who is gradually losing her sanity to achieve artistic perfection. The other film features a wrestler, long past his youthful and athletic peak, hurling his ailing mass of a body to make a living and maintain his place in the world.

Aronofsky takes his characters’ physicality and pushes them to the extreme. We cringe to see these two protagonists bruise, distort, strain, splinter, batter, wrench their bodies into rigorous instruments as they carry out their lives. The sound effect of an ankle twisting or the sight of a body being pummeled is both viscerally disturbing yet fascinating. Really painful stuff.

Take a look at the video and see the similarities these two different movies share.